The Lock To Your Heart
by Ageha Yume
Summary: Kuroko never knew that visiting a particular museum would make him end up in a totally different world where it was normal for women to use dirty methods to rise to power. Using each other as stepping stones, Kuroko somehow ended caught up in the battle between concubines, especially after a certain Teiko Prince became interested in him, in which his life was turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Credits: This was inspired by _purple mangosteen_ 's story In The Court of the Crimson King and many different dramas. Since I have many ideas flowing in my head, I cannot resist writing one myself. Hope you all will enjoy my take on this AU.**

 **Reminder: This is generally based on the Qing Dynasty (which was renamed as Teiko Dynasty for the sake of the story) with elements of Tang Dynasty as well. I also will make things up as I see fit. In addition, there'll be genderbent for few characters but their first names would remain the same.**

Chapter 1: 敬酒不吃吃罚酒

Kuroko groaned as he stirred awake from his dream. Turning his head slightly, he glanced at the calendar beside his bed and sighed when he realized that today was the day when he'll have to hang out with one of his childhood friends, Kise Ryouta.

It wasn't like he detest the idea of hanging out with the blonde, but the problem was that his friend was always so loud and cheerful, and admittedly, he can be very annoying at times. Whenever Kise found something new to explore, he must dragged Kuroko along with him and unfortunately, every time Kise used the doggy eyes on him, Kuroko could only accept his offer.

That sly Kise, he knew that Kuroko love dogs a lot so he used Kuroko's weakness against him. And Kuroko hated the fact that he would always fall for this plan. But, Kuroko knew that Kise meant no harm and his purpose of wanting to hang out with Kuroko was all for the sake of lifting the blunette's spirits.

Truth to be told, Kuroko lost his dog Nigou several months ago and even now, Kuroko was still affected by the dog's death. To him, Nigou mean the world to him and Nigou wasn't merely a dog; Nigou was his best friend, his little brother... and sometimes Kuroko treat Nigou as if he's the blunette's own son.

Needless to say, Nigou was very important to Kuroko and losing him was like losing a part of his own limbs. The pain was unbearable. But... just like Kise said, Kuroko needs to move on. And maybe that was why he was willing to follow Kise and see what he have in store for Kuroko.

Kuroko sighed and decided to get dressed for the day. He opened his cabinet and picked up a pair of simple shirt and pants for himself. And since he wasn't one to take a long time to get dressed, he finished putting on his clothing in under 10 minutes.

He stared at his own reflection using the mirror one last time before heading out the door.

It take him not too long before he ended up waiting for Kise at their compromised meeting spot. Kuroko glanced at his watch and realized that he was actually quite early. With no choice, he sat on the bench and waited for the blond.

Thankfully though, his childhood friend didn't make Kuroko wait for too long. Once Kise spotted Kuroko, he immediately jumped, hugging Kuroko tightly. "Kurokocchi!" If Kise was a dog, his ears and tail would already be wagging.

"K-Kise-kun," Kuroko wheezed and pushed Kise off.

"Ah, gomen, gomen," Kise apologized sheepishly.

Kuroko shake his head, "Well, where do you want to go today?"

Kise clasped his hands together, "Today, a new museum will be open and I want us to explore that place! That museum has a _bunch_ of things from ancient China!" Kise's eyes were sparkling with excitement, clearly portraying how much he wanted to visit that museum. He loved adventures the most and since he never physically see ancient China's artifacts, the museum obviously sparked his interest in no time at all.

Kuroko wasn't that surprise of Kise's reaction; the blond tend to react strongly towards things he have a passion for. "Well, let's go."

* * *

The museum indeed made Kuroko feel, for a lack of better word, awestruck. Besides the fact that the museum was very spacious, there are many ancient clothing, tools, accessories, weapons, etc, on display, enclosed by glass windows. There are also security guards around, making sure no one was taking pictures or was getting too close to the artifacts.

Next to these artifacts were the name of the artifact and a small historic background, describing who used to own this property, how it was used, etc - all written on a small label. The bright lights effectively highlight these artifacts, making Kuroko's eyes immediately drawn to it the moment he enters the museum. Based on the brochure Kuroko obtained once he entered the museum, there are a bunch of artifacts from all the past dynasties such as the Han Dynasty, Teiko, Tang, etc.

People busied around him and loud chattering sounds echo in the museum. Multiple times, it was very difficult to maneuver his way through the crowd and another problem was that Kuroko was now alone since Kise somehow disappeared.

Kuroko tried to call Kise, but no matter what, he wasn't able to reach the blond. And so, he gave up and decided to have fun, and he's pretty sure Kise was also doing the same too.

But, it was actually quite astonishing that today was the museum's first opening and yet, business already skyrocketed; many people were actually quite fascinated by these artifacts. And although Kuroko couldn't quite say that he was a man of history, he had to admit that he found himself pulled in by these artifacts.

He managed to squirm his way through and managed to get a chance to observe the gown that belongs to a late Emperor. The gown itself was all gold with a sewn dragon in the center. And at the bottom of the gown were a bunch of blue clouds and waves. In addition, attached to the the golden sash were two sachets made of golden silk, and all in all, his outfit screamed royalty.

Next, he observed a drawing created with black ink that portrayed the royal family standing in the Imperial Garden. Various trees and flowers made up the garden and moreover, the garden was surrounded by a pond filled with lily pads. But what really stand out to Kuroko was the Emperor.

Kuroko was amazed by how descriptive the drawing was despite the time period and he couldn't help but be memorized by the Emperor. Women, probably the Emperor's imperial wives, were standing next to the King of the country, all have smiles etched on their faces. However, the Emperor has a somewhat gloomy face and it was as if he was disgusted by his wives hooking their arms with his.

This confused Kuroko; why wasn't the Emperor happy when he have all the wealth, power, and women he can ask for?

The blunette wasn't aware how long he was staring at the Emperor until out of the blue, someone shake his shoulder. Kuroko turned around and saw a few women standing in front of him.

"Excuse me, we would like to see the painting, so can you move aside since you're already there for a long time?" one of them asked.

"Ah, sorry," Kuroko moved aside. The crowd grew and was larger in size compared to before and at all the different stations, people were bustling around; there was nowhere Kuroko can go to.

Sighing inwardly, he tread forward, toward a more vacant area. It was then that he noticed a large portrait of a man hung up on the wall. Moving forward so that he was merely few inches away from the portrait, Kuroko take this opportunity to fully take in the details of the late Emperor.

He absentmindedly extended a hand and touched the portrait gently. His fingers hovered over the Emperor's face in the portrait and once he let his hand dropped to the side, it was then that a sudden gust of wind blew into the museum out of nowhere.

The wind blew the portrait away and it was as if Kuroko's legs have its own mind because Kuroko found himself chasing after the portrait without thinking. He ran out of the museum and despite the fact that he has a low stamina, he was still chasing after the portrait.

Kuroko was short out of breath by the time he stopped running. He wiped away the sweat coating his forehead and looked around his surroundings.

Since when did he run into a forest? There was no one around except for him, and the dirty ground and gigantic trees gave a depressing mood to the setting.

Looking back, Kuroko noticed that the portrait attached itself onto what seems like an oak tree. And again, Kuroko felt himself drawn to the portrait. He stepped forward and when he was about a feet away, he suddenly lost his footing as his whole body sank into the ground.

Everything was black and he can see nothing but darkness.

He found himself falling, and it seems as if he wouldn't land anytime soon. Kuroko moved his hands around, trying to see if he can grab a hold of something to temporarily support him and help him climb up.

Unfortunately, he found nothing and powerlessly, he can only brace himself for the impact once his body collided with the bottom of the hole.

* * *

Women wearing a simple two-piece ruqun with small patterns of flowers decorating their garbs were all standing on a stage with a red carpet, dancing to the instrumental music as men all watch their performance.

This was located at one of the most common prostitute brothels in the town and this performance in particular was a contest to see who can dance the best and the victor will be rewarded with money by the audience.

The men cheered as the main star, Furihata Kouki, twirled and flashed a seductive smile toward her customers. In response, the audience threw some coins toward the stage and Kouki curtsied in gratitude.

She was about to continue dancing when suddenly, out of the blue, a scream echoed from above. Everyone looked up and stared at Kuroko who fell from the sky, trying to save himself from landing on the ground harshly.

He grabbed onto a thin red curtain made of cotton and found himself swinging side to side. "Help!" He muttered and clutched onto the curtain in a vice grip. At last, the curtain stopped swinging and Kuroko calm his nerves as he slowly descend back down.

He sighed in relief and that was when he finally noticed that he wasn't the only one there. He stared back at the audience and suddenly, he felt as if he was naked under the audience's intense scrutinizing gaze.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion; why was everyone wearing odd clothing? And it was as if they were all wearing the ancient clothing he saw on display back in the museum. Did Kuroko accidentally landed into where a filming crew was? But how?

"Hey young lady," a woman walked toward the blunette. And Kuroko pointed a finger toward himself, not sure if she was talking about him. "Everyone," she turned to the crowd. "Look at this fine lady's skin. Look at her beautiful hair! Look at her... unique clothing." She tugged Kuroko forward, letting everyone have a better look at her. She also caressed Kuroko's skin, in which the blunette slightly flinched when her long nails graze his skin.

"What do you say, everyone? Don't you think that she's a good candidate to win this contest?" In all honesty, despite the fact that this contest was designed to be a dancing based competition, many males here were more concerned of the woman's beauty rather than their talent. Just like how women were more concerned with a man's status and power, men were more interested in the women's beauty and appearance. Their additional talents like sewing, singing, and dancing were only the cherry on the top.

"Excuse me?" Kuroko raised his eyebrows. "What are you-?"

He was ignored as the crowd cheered, all shifting their focus from Kouki to Kuroko.

"We want to see her dance!" Someone exclaimed and soon, the whole crowd chanted the same thing.

"Dance! Dance! Dance!"

"Alright, alright everyone! Quiet down!" The woman gestured her hands. "Since we have so many votes, then this young lady will dance for everyone."

Everyone clapped, some even whistled.

"What are you saying?" Kuroko whispered and the woman in charge looked at him, murmuring under her breath so the crowd wouldn't hear.

"You either participate or else you won't like what my men would do to you," she threatened, eyes cold. At the corner of his eyes, Kuroko can see several well-build guards surrounding the area, advancing few steps forward to be intimidating.

To her, it was obvious that everyone was entranced by the incomer, and this was definitely a good chance to earn more money. No way would she ever gave up on an opportunity to become rich.

Kuroko gulped. He had no choice. And besides, what harm would it do to dance?

The woman stepped back and waved a hand, motioning all her other prostitutes to get down the stage. The prostitutes all stepped down reluctantly.

Kuroko felt nervous; everyone was staring at him with predator-like eyes as if they was about to gobble him up alive.

The musicians started playing their lute and everyone watched with anticipation. Not knowing what to do, Kuroko decided to dance the one dance he knew by heart since it was mandatory for him to learn it: salsa.

He tapped his left foot forward and then rocked back on his right foot. He stepped backward with his left, then with his right, and the pattern repeats. He even added a few occasional spins as well.

Honestly, he felt that his dance was horrible, not to mention boring but clearly, the audience wasn't on the same page as him. By the time the dance ended, everyone clapped for him.

Kuroko just stood there, not knowing how to respond until the woman in charge gestured him to bow as well as mouthing the words to emphasize the importance. And Kuroko followed her instructions.

Afterwards, coins were thrown onto the stage.

After the crowd departed, the woman in charge, who later introduced herself as Riko (and Kuroko does so as well), pulled Kuroko toward the brothel, where the prostitutes lived. She gave Kuroko no opportunity to refuse and the tight clutch on Kuroko's wrist made it difficult for Kuroko to let go.

"Here, this will be your room for now." Kuroko examined the room: the room was indeed nice, but... there must be a price in exchange for this luxury. "Of course," she continued. "You won't live here for free; the one condition is that you must sell yourself. I don't know how you came here, but this must be a gift from Heaven." She smiled, "I'll just sit back and wait for the money to come running to my hands."

"I refuse. I would rather live on the streets than to sell myself," Kuroko stated firmly and ran away. But he couldn't make it far once the guards from before immediately surrounded him. All the escape routes were blocked off.

Kuroko stepped back and he leaned onto the wall for support as the guards advanced forward.

"You can't escape, Kuroko Tetsuya," Riko said lowly and Kuroko could only think of one thing: he was doomed.

* * *

Kuroko was currently sitting in a wooden tub filled with warm water as he cleaned his body with a white towel. Riko forced him to wash himself because he "smell" and dumped some clothes into the room from this era.

Kuroko just found out from Riko that he was currently in the Teiko Dynasty, which explains why everyone was dressing they way they were. The fact that he somehow had traveled through time was still hard to digest and it was still too difficult to adjust to this time period.

And unfortunately, Kuroko was required to wear a ruqun. Despite the fact that Kuroko repeatedly told Riko that he's a male, Riko thinks that Kuroko was crazy. To her, there was no way Kuroko is male since there was no way a male can look this feminine.

But Kuroko does understand why Riko thinks this way because in this era, males are more tough and was bigger in size, and... Kuroko was the opposite of that description.

He sighed and played with the water in an attempt to lift his spirits. "Kuroko!" A knock came from the door. "Hurry up!" Riko stressed.

"Got it!" Kuroko responded and stepped out of the tub. After he dried himself, he stared at the clothes and bit his lips: how in the world was he going to wear this?

Despite the fact that it wasn't apparent on his face, Kuroko was having a slight breakdown now. Never have he ever wore women clothing, and crossdressing was definitely not his hobby. He had absolutely no idea how to wear it.

He decided to go with his instincts and wear the blouse first, lapping the right lapel over the left. Then he put his long skirt on. When he placed it around his waist, the skirt was still too long, so he lifted all the way up to his chest, around an inch under his collar bones.

Kuroko glanced in the mirror and was creep out by the way how he looked. Instantly, he want to take it off and grab his own clothing, but didn't get a chance to do so when Riko barge into the room, uncaring if Kuroko was still dressing or not.

Kuroko could only stare at Riko, shock by her invasion of privacy. "Good, you look beautiful Kuroko. Men will surely fall in love with you," she commented and twirl Kuroko around to get a better look at Kuroko's outfit.

The moment she lay her eyes on this ruqun, she knew it would suit Kuroko. The pale blue blouse and the frilly yellow skirt fits Kuroko perfectly. "Hmm... your short hair is a problem," Riko commented as she touched Kuroko's hair. "But don't worry, it's nothing a wig couldn't fix. Though I doubt there's a blue wig."

Kuroko became hopeful, but he was thrown back into Hell when Riko continued, "Oh well, you'll just have to wear a black wig."

Turning around, she said, "Now, I'll go get the necessary supplies while you sit tight in your room. And, don't think about escaping, or else..."

Kuroko nodded his head obediently.

Once Riko was out of sight, he hastily closed the doors and ran toward the windows. He opened it and looked down; there were a couple of people around, but hopefully, he can escape unnoticed.

He knew that escaping through the front had zero chances of success since the guards were probably all over the place, but escaping through the back might been a different story.

Kuroko swung his leg over and tried to reach for something to stand on, but suddenly, he was pulled back by the collar and the tight clutch was choking him. He was slammed onto the ground and Kuroko coughed, touching the forming bruise around his neck.

Glancing up, he saw Riko along with a couple of guards hovering over his fallen form. "I knew you will try to escape; you honestly thought I was stupid and gave an opportunity to you without thinking?" She knelt down, meeting Kuroko's eye level. "Kuroko, why escape if you can make easy money here? All you have to do is to seduce men and spread your legs, and you'll gain money and fame in no time."

Kuroko fervently shake his head, "No. I refuse. I would rather earn money through a more difficult job instead of doing this." And besides, money wasn't his first priority; he needs to find a way to return home, return to the 21st century.

Riko deepened her frown, "Since you insist doing this the hard way, you leave me no choice. Men, teach her a lesson and make her regret disobeying me." She snarled and stomped out of the room, fuming in rage.

The four men all smirked at each other as if they were sending telepathic messages. "Hey, brothers, let me have her first," one of them said.

"First brother, you're not being fair," they protested.

"I always let you guys take the prize first, so this time, let me be first," he said. Since the men were in a deep conversation among themselves, Kuroko decided to use this chance. Quietly, he tried to run toward the open window, but once again, he failed as the first brother pulled his hair.

Kuroko hissed in pain and the man grabbed Kuroko tightly. Kuroko struggled, but it was futile. "Alright brothers, go outside already. It seems like this young lady was too impatient." He snickered and his brothers nodded their heads and reluctantly head outside.

Turning back, the man threw Kuroko on the bed and hastily undress himself. "Let's have some fun, young lady."

Kuroko only spit on his face in response.

"Looks like being rough is the only way, eh?" He cracked his knuckles and pounced. Kuroko screamed, trying to push the man off. Reaching for the pillow, he grabbed it and slammed it against the man's head.

Kuroko knew this had no effect, but he hoped that at least it would give him few seconds to hurriedly run away.

Kuroko received a slap in return. But he retaliated by kicking the man in the shin.

"Fuck!" The man cursed, nursing his private part. Furiously, he grabbed Kuroko's blouse and ripped it to shreds. The man froze; he couldn't believe his eyes. "Y-You're a male?!" He pointed an accusing finger.

Kuroko slumped against the wall, short out of breath and realized that his body were trembling.

"But," the man continued. "Female or not, I'll make you pay." He hovered over Kuroko and tried to land a kiss, but Kuroko always managed to dodge him. Kuroko kicked and punched, but it was ineffective. Trying to pry off the dirty hands off of his body, he used his other hand to grabbed something on the nearby cabinet and without hesitation, he rammed it against the man's head.

The man stopped moving and stared at Kuroko one last second before falling down, unconscious.

Kuroko gasped after he noticed the blood staining the object he was holding. He let go, still trembling with fear.

"I-I killed someone..." he whispered, and his breath was hitched in his throat. Slowly, he placed a finger in front of the man's nose and sighed in relief once he can feel the man breathing.

"Is our brother done yet?" Kuroko snapped his head toward the door; that's right, he was still surrounded and moreover, now was his chance to escape.

He was about to leave, but he remembered that he need to cover himself, so he grabbed a blouse from the drawer and dressed up. He racked his brain to come up with a plan since he couldn't possibly jump from the window and at this distance from the building to the ground, he would surely injure himself if he would to jump down, which would ruined his plan.

Think.

"Wait, aren't there a bunch of dresses in that drawer?" He rapidly ran toward that drawer, taking out all the dresses and tied everyone together. At last, he was done and tied one end to the bed tightly and then threw the other end of the rope out the window.

And just like that, he used the rope made of clothing to climb down the brothel.

During the entire journey, his heart thumped loudly but finally, his feet touched the ground.

He was free.

/

 **敬酒不吃吃罚酒** **means to refuse to comply and was forced to do more. And in Kuroko's case, he refuse to obey Riko and was almost raped in return.**

 **Please review and tell me how was the first chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: 天门绝人之路

Kuroko shivered as a gust of wind blew over his frail body. Since he was only wearing a thin piece of clothing, he wasn't enveloped by much warmth, and thus, his body temperature dropped significantly. He cupped his hands side to side and blew into that closed system, and by using the warmth his hands radiated, he rubbed his shoulders fervently.

Kuroko had been walking aimlessly for quite a while and honestly, he had no idea where he should go. He was basically like a foreigner on this land, not familiar with anything and with no friends or families here to rely on, Kuroko only had himself to depend on.

And he knew that he should come up with a plan sooner or later; he simply cannot plan to live like this during the whole duration of his stay in this time period. Kuroko glanced around at the empty town; as expected, there wasn't anyone there who he can seek help from.

But thinking from the bright side, at least the moon tonight was bright, out in the cloudless night sky. This way, Kuroko can at least see where he was going and can guide himself around, and wasn't totally stuck in one place.

Kuroko let out a yawn and decided that he must find a place to rest for the night or else his body wouldn't last. And since he had no money on his body, there was only one option left for him; he walked toward a narrow alleyway and after finding a good spot, he sat there and shut his eyes.

It was actually difficult to adjust at first since he wasn't used to sleeping against cold bricks, not to mention that he had to sleep in a sitting position. But after he stayed still and not let his mind wander elsewhere, he fell asleep before he knew it.

Morning soon came afterwards and Kuroko immediately jolted awake once he heard the town became alive again. People were bustling around the town, trying to advertise their products in hopes that it would appeal to their potential customers.

They were all saying it in such an enthusiastic way that the mix of loud voices stir Kuroko away; and since he was a light sleeper, he would arouse from the slightest sounds. Kuroko stand up and after dusting off the dust that had gathered on his clothes, he walked around the town.

When someone was asking him if he would want to purchase a handkerchief that had a decent embroidery on it, Kuroko politely rejected them. And from a distance away, the bluenette noticed someone selling meat buns and this reminded Kuroko that he was starving.

As if to mock him, his stomach growled and Kuroko's face were flushed with a faint red hue due to embarrassment since people around him actually heard the music his stomach was making. Kuroko hastily speed away; if he had stayed any longer, he might not be able to resist the hunger.

After thinking for a bit, he came up with a concrete plan; he should first find a job, then find a cheap place to rent. And after that was all settled, he need to research how he can get back to his time period. Needless to say, he doesn't plan on staying here for good, but that had to come later after it was certain that he wouldn't be starving and not to mention homeless.

But, the main concern at the moment was how can Kuroko get a job in the first place? He was clueless as to how exactly does this place function; what were the rules, how was everything organized, and was it necessary to fill out a working paper? Questions like these plagued his mind.

However, he at least needs to try since after all, the outcome might work in his favor. He approached a woman nearby and asked, "Excuse me, do you know anyone who's hiring right now?"

After processing this information for a few seconds, she then smiled. "Well young lady, you came to the right person! I'm actually looking for someone to help me with my restaurant."

Kuroko was about to correct her, but stopped himself; he wasn't sure if she would believe him if he told her the truth that he's a male... and what if she deemed him as a pervert? That would surely ruin his chance to get a job. "Then do you want to hire me?"

The woman's smile faltered. "...You're not looking for a job for your husband?"

He shake his head, "No."

"Well young lady, this job will be a labor and it'll be very difficult for someone who isn't psychically fit," she said, hoping Kuroko would understand.

"Please give me a try before rejecting me. I promise I would be able to handle it," Kuroko pleaded with urgency. This was a golden opportunity and Kuroko would never let it fly away; he was desperate.

The woman was torn between two options and after thinking about it, she came to a consensus. "Alright, follow me."

The two walked towards the back of a small restaurant and the woman guided Kuroko to an area filled with logs. "Your task is to cut all these logs with this ax in three hours. If you can complete it, then you're hired. If not..."

Kuroko nodded his head determinedly. "I understand. Thank you for the opportunity."

"But... are you sure though?" She asked worriedly. This task was certainly strenuous; she was very uncertain that Kuroko can handle this.

Kuroko gave her the answer when he proceeded to pick up the ax with both hands. With a sigh, the woman left and await for the bluenette's progress...

Three hours was extremely long and torturous.

Under the scorching and unforgiving sun, Kuroko had to chop the wood for three consecutive hours. Several times, he wanted to take a break, but he knew that time was ticking away and if he recklessly take a break, he would end up having less time to finish the task.

The damp water was coating his entire body and several droplets of sweat splattered onto the dirt. Simultaneously, he was panting hard and dehydrated as well, but he bear with the pain and continued the task.

As soon as he gripped the ax, Kuroko hissed in pain at the pressure and so he let go of the tool. His hands were all red with few blisters growing on his skin. Kuroko also noticed that one of the blisters actually popped, revealing the red flesh underneath.

He bit his lips and peeled off the skin and blew onto the wound, hoping it would act as an temporary ointment to soothe the pain. This method only worked for a brief second and once the salty liquid trickled onto the wound, it stung badly.

Kuroko hurriedly ripped a part of his dress and tied it around the blisters, so it wouldn't hurt as badly as before.

And with that, he continued chopping the wood.

Once the time was up, the woman scrutinized Kuroko's work and turned to Kuroko, "You're hired! I'm Chiyo, your new boss from now on!"

Kuroko closed his eyes in exhaustion and let a small smile cross his features. "Thank you very much; I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."

She nodded her head approvingly, "Alright, let's get you treated and familiarize with this restaurant." She led Kuroko around the small restaurant, and despite the size of it, Kuroko can tell that many people love this restaurant. Moreover, the workers here all respect Chiyo, greeting her the moment she walked in.

Kuroko can tell that he was in good hands, and despite the fact that he should be upset to be stuck here, it wasn't that bad at all. Compared to that brothel, he prefer this place more.

The bluenette's train of thought was interrupted when Chiyo continued, "Actually Kuroko, I had a proposal." She said sheepishly. "I wonder if I can pay you with shelter and food instead of money? You see, business wasn't that good, so I'm not sure if I can afford giving out salaries."

"That's fine, in fact, I'm in need of a place to rent, so this worked out perfectly."

"Alright, then we have a deal."

* * *

Kuroko breathed in the fresh air under the bright moonlight; for some particular reason, the night view brought a different feeling even though the moon still looked exactly the same as the previous night.

It might be due to the change of the situation; now, he had a job, shelter, food... what more could he ask for? He was no longer as lost as before and thankfully to Chiyo, he had a place to start and not feel as if he doesn't belong anywhere.

Taking one last glance at the clear moon, he walked back to his bed and went to sleep. Tomorrow was, after all, a brand new day and he still need to wake up early for his job.

And before he knew it, it was already morning and Kuroko quickly get dressed. As he descended the flight of stairs, he noticed his coworkers were all cleaning the shop fervently, and it seems like they were all in a rush. Kuroko just stand there while they passed by him, not noticing his presence.

"Kuroko! What are you standing there for?" Kuroko snapped his head to the side, and noticed Chiyo pacing toward him.

"Why is everyone so busy in the morning? The shop wouldn't be open in about 2 hours right?" He understand that his coworkers needed to clean the tables and chairs for their customers later, but... was it really necessary to place so many decorations up around the restaurant as well?

Chiyo grinned, "Well, we all heard news that the Crown Prince will be coming back soon, so everyone was busy making this place attractive, hoping that the Crown Prince would at least come visit even though we knew that chances were slim. You know, the Crown Prince had left this place for more than two years now, so naturally, all the citizens miss him. We all are super excited for his arrival that we couldn't contain this excitement, so this was the only way to vent it out."

Without Chiyo directly telling him, Kuroko can tell that the Crown Prince must be a powerful leader whom everyone respects and admires; it was amazing how much the citizens would do for the Crown Prince to welcome him without anyone giving them instructions to do so.

"Why was he gone for such a long time?"

"It seems that the Crown Prince needed to help dissolve a dispute with a neighboring country's leader. Though that shouldn't take a long time, I heard that there was a sudden enormous flood that take thousands of lives. Thankfully, God was looking after the Crown Prince and he managed to stay alive, but he decided to stay to help the country rebuild itself," Chiyo informed.

"The Crown Prince seems like a kind person," Kuroko commented.

Chiyo wagged a finger, "Not 'seems' like it, he _is_ kind! Even though the Crown Prince has duties to look after this country, he went beyond his responsibilities, knowing that he wouldn't gain anything in return. You see, one time the Crown Prince was in this town secretly and he bought food for some hungry orphans willingly. He even left a bag of gold coins behind and helped the orphans find a place where they can call it home."

The list goes on and on, and it seems that Chiyo had a never-ending amount of stories to share about the Crown Prince. "Chiyo-san, the way you talk about the prince make it seems like you're in love with him," Kuroko joked, unknowingly hit the nail head on.

"W-W-What are you talking about?! I'm such an old lady, there's no way I-I-I'll fall for someone that young!" It was clear as day that her words contradicted her feelings, but Kuroko wisely kept his mouth shut.

"And besides, this year the Crown Prince will be 24 years old after his birthday passed while I'm... 37," she mumbled that last bit of information.

"You even know his exact age," Kuroko raised his eyebrows.

"Ugh, get to work already or else I'll kick you out!" Chiyo threatened to cover up her embarrassment.

Kuroko quickly go help out his coworkers; he first swept the floor, then helped clean the tables. And after everything was completed, the restaurant was sparkly clean. Kuroko thought that today he wouldn't need to chop wood since the amount of wood he chopped yesterday was enough to last for today, but he was proven wrong once the shop was opened, and the customers instantly flooded in as if they're bees attracted to honey.

It seems that people from other towns also came here in hopes that they would be able to see the Crown Prince. And thus, business was skyrocketing at an alarming rate; however, Chiyo clearly wasn't complaining. She had a large smile etched on her face as if she never saw anything like this and once she came to her senses, she ushered her workers to get to work.

The customers ordered food all at once, and once the waitresses delivered the orders to the chefs, the chefs were all cooking speedily. And due to this, the amount of wood would be used up quickly, so Kuroko immediately went to chop more.

Once a group of customers left, more came in and multiple times, Chiyo had to apologize for the lack of available seats and asked the customers to come back later. The waitresses, along with Chiyo, was bustling around the small shop, carrying dishes of food on the trays. They tried to move quickly, but also had to make sure they didn't accidentally tripped or knock something down.

And meanwhile for Kuroko, he was actually asked to help the chefs due to the fact that there are so many orders at once with limited amount of chefs. So in order to speed up the process, Kuroko helped slice meat, dice vegetables, mix sauces, etc.

All in all, today's business was hectic and were certainly exhausting, but it was worth it if they think about how much profit was made in just one day. Chiyo's eyes almost jumped out of its sockets when she counted the money earned.

So as a reward, Chiyo gathered everyone and poured rice wine into the cups. "Drink up! Today is the happiest day of my life and I would't be able to get this far without you all. Cheers!" She held up her cup, expecting everyone to do so.

And then they all clang their cups together and gulped down the wine while Kuroko only tentatively sip it; he wasn't a huge fan of alcohol, so he tried to avoid drinking it all together. But today was such a happy day, so he'd definitely ruin the happy atmosphere if he refuse to drink.

"Here! Have more!" Chiyo poured more wine into Kuroko's cup despite the fact that the bluenette said that he had enough for the night. "Nonsense! You can never have too much wine, right siblings?!"

"Yes, sister!" They answered in perfect synchronization. They made small talks here and there, but most of the time it was spent on drinking, while eating some snacks as well to accompany the drink.

Kuroko at first wasn't sure what he can say to contribute to the discussion, but someone pulled him towards the group and asked, "So Kuroko, are you alone in this town?Where's your family?"

"My family... isn't here."

While he did speak the truth, Kuroko couldn't actually say that his family is alive, but is in a different time period. And so due to the way how he phrase it, the men concluded one thing. "Must be hard on you, Kuroko, to lose your family at such an early age."

"I'm... fine."

"Well, we don't have a family too, so you can treat us as your family," he grinned and gave Kuroko a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you," Kuroko whispered.

* * *

"Kuroko, mind doing me a favor?" Chiyo asked. Kuroko looked up and put down the rag onto the table.

"What is it, Chiyo-san?"

"Here," Chiyo handed a list to Kuroko. "Can you help me buy these items on the list?" She also handed Kuroko a pouch of money along with a basket.

"Of course," Kuroko nodded. He waved goodbye to his boss once he stepped out the shop. He take a peek at the list and noticed that Chiyo wanted him to buy a bunch of vegetables. Thankfully, few days prior, Chiyo introduced Kuroko around the town, so Kuroko was somewhat familiarized with his new surroundings. And afterwards, Kuroko will often take advantage of his breaks to mingle with the people, observing them in details, so he would be able to adapt faster.

During the course of his stay here, his coworkers often sent him confused gazes when Kuroko accidentally slip out something from his time period that does not exist right now. And so he needed to learn more, which would certainly benefit him in the long run.

He traveled toward the supermarket and when he stopped by the food stand, he was carefully picking the vegetables, determining which was more fresh and possibly more delicious.

"Excuse me, I would like-" Kuroko trailed off when he saw something that definitely surprised him: it was the men, along with Riko, from the brothel. And it seems like Kuroko wasn't the only one who was aware just who was on the opposite side; Riko gestured his men and they all went to chase Kuroko.

Kuroko immediately turned around and tried to run, invading as much people as possible. Kuroko knew that he has a low stamina, so he couldn't possibly out run them for a long time; he needed to have a plan.

But the pressure on his back made his mind a jumble mess. Honestly, all he can think of was to run; there was barely any time where he can just stop and think. While he was sprinting forward, Kuroko looked around the crowd and came up with something; he should use this sea of people to his advantage.

Kuroko did not stop at all despite hearing the constant call for his name from behind, and once Kuroko saw an opportunity, he bend down and squirmed inside this large crowd. He needed to get out of their sight before anything else, then carefully maneuver his way around.

This method only worked for few minutes simply because moving while in a crawling position was really exhausting, not to mention that he was stepped on multiple times.

"Kuroko, get back here! Kuroko!" Riko's voice was more louder than before, proving that she was closing the distance between them rapidly.

Kuroko had no time to spare.

He get up and challenged his limits, pushing himself to dash even faster, not caring if they actually saw him or not. Kuroko soon noticed that he had slowed down significantly; throughout the entire time, he was puffing, simply short out of breath.

But it was then that he actually noticed that the crowd was all chanting the same message. "Welcome home, Crown Prince. A thousands of blessings for our Crown Prince!"

The Crown Prince... maybe he can help Kuroko get out of this nasty situation. Kuroko stopped and turned to the left, trying to push himself through the human wall. "Excuse me, please let me through..."

Despite the fact that he was carefully trying to maneuver his way through, he was suddenly shoved from behind, pushing him out of the crowd. He found himself falling and simultaneously, noticed a large white horse moving its hooves high up in the air, and was about to step on Kuroko himself.

The bluenette squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the impact.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was startled by Kuroko who, for some reason, jumped out, startling his horse. "Yukimaru!" An authoritative voice called out, and instantly, his horse calmed down. The Crown Prince hastily reached forward to grab the falling person, and he was quite close in succeeding, but still didn't manage to do so.

Kuroko landed on the ground; his head thumped against the ground. And then he was unconscious.

"Seijuro-sama, are you alright?!" The Crown Prince or Akashi Seijuro's personal bodyguard, Mibuchi Reo, instantly ran to his Crown Prince's side, checking to see if the prince have any injuries. In a split second, he then pulled out his sword from the sheath. He pointed the sword at Kuroko and Akashi's other guards also followed Reo.

"Stop," Akashi instructed.

"But my prince!" Reo protested. "This woman might be an assassin aiming for your life! Even now, she might be feigning consciousness to let your guard down!"

"No, I saw everything," Akashi shake his head and turned to the soldiers who were stationed in front of the crowds, to prevent them from getting near their prince. "How exactly did this woman get out of the crowd when you're all supposed to prevent that from happening?" Despite the fact that Akashi didn't raise his voice, it was evident to everyone that he was displeased.

All the guards knelt, "We're sorry for our incompetence, Your Highness. Please punish us." The citizens also knelt, fearing that they also done something wrong to incur their prince's wrath.

Akashi shake his head, "This isn't a matter of punishing or not punishing you."

Reo frowned on the sidelines; today was supposed to be such a grand and happy day, and yet this had to happen. He had no idea whether the bluenette was an assassin or was she innocent, but Reo knew one thing for sure; he definitely would protect his prince at all costs.

"Your Highness!" Someone called out and Riko walked out after Akashi gave a nod toward the guards to let her through. "Your Highness, I know this lady. Please let me take her away and punish her for blocking your way." She bowed.

"What's her connection to you?" Akashi inquired and he momentarily signaled Reo to check the severity of Kuroko's wounds, if any.

"Her name's Kuroko Tetsuya and she's one of our prostitutes in the brothel." Disregarding her somewhat calm countenance, on the inside, she was cursing at Kuroko: what if the Crown Prince was so mad at Kuroko for such disrespect that he would chop Kuroko's head off and punish her as well? If that was the case, then it was so not worth it to drag Kuroko back forcefully.

After observing Riko's bodily response, Akashi replied, "Is that the truth?"

Riko looked down, "Yes, Your Highness."

"...One of the things I hate the most is when people lie to me. Now, it was very easy to tell if someone was lying or not by judging how they react; so tell me, why are you avoiding eye contact?"

To Riko, it seems like Akashi's gleaming heterochromatic eyes can see through her, and fear enveloped her. She was unable to reply.

"Your Highness!" Another called out and this time, it was Chiyo who walked out. "Your Highness, she's indeed lying to you, as you already concluded. Kuroko is one of my workers and definitely not hers."

Riko glared at Chiyo, but didn't dare to rebut.

"You..." Akashi started, going through his recollection. "You're one of the orphans whom I helped out years ago."

"Yes," Chiyo smiled gratefully. "Your Highness has an excellent memory. It was thanks to your kindness and generosity that me and my siblings are all alive to this day."

Akashi nodded. It was surprising how much change Chiyo had undergo; in his memories, Chiyo had to struggle so much to support her large family, and was always instinctively trying to look down, avoiding all eye contact. But now, she metamorphosed into a confident woman who can project her own voice. "No gratitude were necessary; I'm just doing what I should do."

Chiyo shake her head; her savior was being so humble.

Riko gritted her teeth, "Your Highness, I have proof that Kuroko is one of my staff! You can ask any of my customers on the day of the competition; Kuroko was there, on stage, dancing to everyone!"

"But that doesn't mean anything! Your Highness, you can also ask my siblings or the customers to prove that Kuroko is one of my workers!" Chiyo countered and the two engage in a glaring contest.

"Anyone can tell by looking at her beautiful face that Kuroko belongs to a brothel. She doesn't belong in your small, dirty, disgusting, pathetic shop; are you sure you're not overworking her to the bones?" By now, Riko was too focused on mocking Chiyo's business.

"Look who should be talking! Your brothel is filled with slutty women, and you call my shop dirty?" And Chiyo doesn't plan on letting Riko trample all over her.

As the argument gets more heated as time passed by, Reo was the one who expressed his anger. "Silence, you two! Know your place! You're standing in front of the Crown Prince and yet you show such disrespect?!"

The women bowed, head nearly touching the ground. "Forgive me, Your Highness."

Akashi shake his head, "Chiyo, you can take your worker away. Let's move on Reo; we had wasted enough time." Chiyo hurriedly dragged Kuroko away and afterwards, Akashi rode away with his men following diligently.

Riko marched up to Chiyo and snarled, "Don't you think this is over."

"Don't worry, the feeling's mutual."

* * *

 **天门绝人之路 means that heaven will always leave a door open.**

 **I'm glad y'all enjoy the first chapter! Now, I was actually planning to let Akashi jump into the story a bit later, but then I figured that I shouldn't, which I'm sure y'all are pleased about XD Also, I'm flexible with requests, so all ideas are welcome!**

 **Reviews appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: 天高皇帝远

Akashi entered his pavilion and waved a hand, dismissing the rest of the servants who had finished tidying his belongings beforehand. Reo, who knew what his Prince desired without said Prince telling him, tasked himself with the job of undressing Akashi. He have few servants guard the entrance and closed the door before shortly following his Prince toward the washing room; he then shed the redhead's clothing efficiently and placed them in a wooden basin to be taken away momentarily. Akashi then dipped a foot into the large lukewarm bath filled with scenty flower petals and the rest of his body soon follows.

Cupping some water using his hand, he splashed the liquid on top of his hair, pushing his bangs to the back of his head before he raked his fingers through it. Akashi groaned in comfort and spread his arms, resting it on top of the Jacuzzi-like tub. He shut his eyes and leaned back comfortably, enveloped by a lovely warmth and surrounded by steam all around.

Reo on the other hand delivered his Prince some sake to accompany the bath and placed the sake jug and cups onto a light tray. He then set the tray on the water, letting it float. Afterwards, Reo rolled up his sleeves and massaged Akashi's shoulders gently but with considerable force, making Akashi moan in ecstasy. His tense muscles were starting to relax under Reo's magical hands.

"My Prince," Reo started, choosing the most popular topic as of late in mind. "How do you feel about the arrival of the new concubines?"

It was that time of the year again; every few years, the Emperor would welcome women under a certain age range into the palace and meet the Emperor personally, who would then select a few women to be his concubine and join his harem. The reason behind this was simply because it would increase the number of children the King of the country will have and continue the royal bloodline, as well as for the Emperor's pleasure. To be accepted as a concubine was a highly honorable position to have and thus, many women seek to obtain it; in fact, some even began training to be an ideal woman and mother with proper etiquette, skills, grace and elegance at a young age in order to be selected in the future.

With each passing second without a response, Reo became alarmingly worried until Akashi finally cracked an eye open and responded, "Nothing much; all of them are ordinary."

When Akashi went to his father's chamber to report his findings from his stay, he happen to meet few of the newly selected concubines, and honestly, he doesn't have a good impression on them. Akashi, someone who was used to masks and facades, knew that underneath the concubines' angelic countenance lies their poisonous true self. Sure, at first they were all friendly - with perhaps good intentions at first - but sooner or later, the competitive atmosphere in the palace will swallow them whole, turning them into someone who will maliciously back stab each other in order to gain his father's favor and climb up the social status ladder.

Such a sight was pure Hell.

Akashi had known this because he was speaking from experience. When he was young, he often saw concubines trying their hardest, vying for his father's attention right in front of his mother, the Queen. All of them only cares about who can please his father the best and most importantly, who can bear a son, a prince for the Emperor. The lengths these women will go was truly disgusting to witness at such a young age; however, despite all of that, Akashi knew one woman who wasn't swayed by such incentives before the status of a queen was bestowed upon her: his mother Shiori.

Just thinking about his deceased mother morphed a frown upon his lips and Reo, as if was able to read Akashi, responded, "My Prince, are you perhaps thinking about the late Empress?"

"Yes," Akashi absentmindedly flicked his fingers through the water, creating several ripples. "Mother passed away such a long time ago, and yet, it still pains me to think about her."

"It's only natural; which son wouldn't feel hurt by their mother's death? Time can't heal some wounds after all. Don't think too much about it, my Prince."

Akashi shake his head, "How can I not when father kept bringing in new _sluts_ into this palace, replacing mother over and over again?" Anger laced his words as Akashi clenched his fists at the prospect of someone taking the position as an Empress during his father's rule; that position solely belong to his mother and no one else.

Witnessing the anger surfacing from Akashi, Reo immediately rubbed circular motions on Akashi's temples in hopes to calm the redhead down. "But the Emperor still kept the Empress' seat empty despite favoring so many wives," Reo reasoned in a calm tone.

Akashi scoffed, "That hardly means anything. If he truly loves mother, he wouldn't bring in new concubines to satiate his sexual appetite." Akashi finished with disgust. "Do you remember Reo, not even one day after mother's death, he was already thinking about welcoming new sluts in this palace?"

That, Reo remembered vividly. It was absolute shocking to see the Emperor recover so fast after the death of the Empress. While Akashi was still mourning for his mother, the Emperor was already moving on with another concubine. Reo, like Akashi, felt so enraged by this; needless to say, Akashi harbored a deep hatred for this father and from there, their father and son relationship were severed.

Akashi no longer seek to gain his father's approval and only focus on completing his duty as the Crown Prince with nothing else in mind. Gone was the innocent boy, who were now replaced by the man Akashi Seijuro was today.

"But no matter how much I hate my father, the difference between our status is too large. He's the Emperor, while I'm merely a Crown Prince."

"Don't like that, my Prince," Reo whispered with sadness. "In my eyes, you had far surpassed your father; status is only but a title. It means nothing and it certainly can't restrict and prevent you from accomplishing your goals. If my Prince wish to overthrow the Emperor, then I, Mibuchi Reo, swore I will follow wherever you go."

Akashi patted Reo's shoulder and nodded trustingly, "I know."

 _Beautiful. That was what young Reo thought the moment he lay his eyes upon that fiery red hair that appears to be a dancing, blaze fire that stole his breath away. It seems that he was too mesmerized by the sight that he forgot his manners and once he was brought back into reality, he quickly apologized and knelt down, "Seijuro-sama, please to meet you; I'm Mibuchi Reo. From here now, I'll be your faithful servant, your hands and feet."_

 _"Nice to meet you," the six years old Akashi smiled and extended a hand. He was quite excited at the prospect of gaining a new friend._

 _And from that moment on, Reo swore that he'll protect and guard his master forever and for life._

* * *

Akashi turned to his side with one hand curving over his hip, trying to get comfortable in this new position. At first, his countenance were stern and rigid, but that facade soon dissolved as he started to relax.

At first, all he can see were sheer darkness but once sleep drifted over him, Akashi found himself walking into a pure white land that seems to stretch endlessly with no way out; he looked around his surroundings but spotted no one nearby. Underneath his feet were soft substances that seemed like puffs of clouds with a layer of mist on top and Akashi had to wonder if he was in heaven.

The whole place was warm and welcoming, which reminded Akashi of what his _former_ home was supposed to feel like. Although the place was devoid of any lifeforms, not to mention an actual object, Akashi still find the place quite pleasing to the eye. If this was indeed heaven, then Akashi wouldn't mind staying at such a simple yet lovely place that brought forth a sense of sereneness.

The redhead bend down, and touched the ground - was there a "ground" to begin with? - but it really didn't quite confirm his theory, though it was not like he had actually touched clouds before.

He then continued to walk around for a bit (he might as well take the time to do some "adventuring" and experience what this place has to offer to the fullest), but soon stopped in his tracks once he saw someone ahead of him.

He stared at the silhouette, trying to discern who exactly was in here as well, but even then he still couldn't identity the person. Akashi stepped forward, "Excuse me..."

The stranger didn't respond, but as Akashi got closer, the stranger's form became much more clearer; in front of Akashi was a thin, lithe person with sky blue hair whose back was still facing the Prince. Akashi called out again, but there was still no response until the redhead touched the person's shoulder.

The person turned around, but the face was blurred, successfully hiding the person's identity.

'Strange,' Akashi thought. "Excuse me, but who are you?" Akashi tried once more.

The bluenette cocked their head to the side, then pointed to their ears, shaking their head.

"You can't hear? Then..." Akashi gently took a hold of the person's hand and began to write languid, careful strokes on the bluenette's palm. Together, the characters spelled out: Who are you?

The stranger returned the favor and replied: I'm nobody as of yet.

Akashi knitted his eyebrows together. Nobody? Was this a mind trick? Or was the latter simply unwilling to share their real identity, thus resorting to use such a name to humor Akashi?

But this wasn't the only odd thing; the latter used weird characters - that still hold some resemblance to the characters Akashi understand - to convey his message, and although Akashi was able to decipher the message, the way how the person wrote the characters was strange.

Suspicions rose in his chest as Akashi wrote again: Nobody? What do you mean?

The bluenette offered the answer: It means exactly what it means. However, I wish to become somebody for someone.

This time, it took a bit longer for Akashi to understand the message, what with the strange characters once again messing his mind.

Somebody? Is the bluenette waiting for their lover perhaps? This was getting more strange by the second.

Akashi questioned: And who will become that someone for you?

The person shrugged.

Akashi thought for few seconds, wondering what he could say in return. Eventually, he settled on to something: I'm sure that once the right time comes, that someone will be by your side before you know it.

If the redhead had to guess, the bluenette's probably smiling: Thank you, Aka-

Whatever the bluenette had to say, Akashi didn't receive it once he was suddenly pulled out of his dream and was back into his chamber, in his spacious bed. The Prince glanced over and saw Reo's worried form close by.

"My Prince? Are you alright? I called you several times, but you didn't stir from your sleep." His Prince was quite the light sleeper, so Reo would just need to call Akashi once or twice before his Prince wakes up, but this time was different.

Akashi shake his head, "I'm fine, Reo. Just had the most bizarre dream in my life."

"Bizarre?" Reo smiled, glad it wasn't something serious. "How so?"

Akashi opened his mouth to speak, but no words come out; his mind was simply a piece of white canvas with all the memories from his dream all gone. "I don't quite remember..."

* * *

Kuroko stood nervously in front of the Meridian Gate, which were decorated with five entrances with two protruding wings, with each arch adorned by a nine-by-nine array of golden nails to symbolize the wealthy status of the royal family. In the center were three arches standing closer together while there's another arch on either side of the three main ones, situated a bit farther away. The center arch was reserved for the Emperor, with the only exception being the Empress on her wedding day. The rest of the servants, court officials and the royal family, as well as guests, had to use the other arches for entrance.

Today marked Kuroko's first day into the famous Forbidden City, which Kuroko learned quite a bit in his past history class, and although he did feel impressed at the sight, Kuroko couldn't help but feel like a nervous wreck.

The humongous palace doesn't help at all, what with the imperial palace stretching 961 meters north to south, 753 meters east to west. The palace contains more than 980 buildings consisting of close to 9,000 bays of rooms. What's more, the entire city was protected by a 7.9 meters tall and roughly 8.6 meters wide wall, constructed from tens of thousands of red baked bricks.

With the walls so gigantic and beyond imagination, Kuroko was already blown away by the sheer size of the palace before even witnessing the insides for himself. He knew that before he had to strictly get used to all the rules and etiquette in the palace, he had to make sure he wouldn't get lost in this palace or a maze rather.

That was a challenge in of it itself.

But back to Kuroko feeling like a jelly from top to bottom, the reason why he was even here in the first palace was for his "protection" as Chiyo labeled it.

 _Kuroko squinted his eyes shut and forced himself to open his eyes as the sunlight filtering through the windows attacked his eyes head on. He raised a hand to shield himself from the light source and moved to sit up, but stopped himself due to his massive headache._

 _It feels like a hippogriff had run over him - yes, Kuroko's quite the Harry Potter fan - and Kuroko clutched his head. "Nnn..." He moaned in pain and sat still for few minutes. It was then that the pain was more tolerable and bearable._

 _As the bluenette leaned back, Chiyo also coincidentally choose to enter the room. "Kuroko, how are you feeling?"_

 _"I feel fine, thank you for your concern," Kuroko lied and hope that nothing would give away signs of pain to his boss._

 _"Alright, but how's your head? You did land on the ground and I fear that impact might've done some damage to your brain," Chiyo said concernedly._

 _"There's just a small headache as an aftereffect, but aside from that, I'm really fine," Kuroko insisted._

 _"If you said so..." Chiyo trailed off and looked away, licking her lips with nervous tension. "Kuroko, actually, I have something to tell you; but before I do, I want you to know that I'm not deliberately kicking you out from here." Chiyo grabbed Kuroko's hand and looked into his eyes sincerely._

 _Kuroko nodded his head, prompting Chiyo to continue._

 _"Okay, so remember the confrontation with Riko the other day? So Riko and I... we go way back and I don't know how it began, but one day, she started to target me and always bullied me; of course, at first I allowed her to do whatever she want, thinking that she might be bored of it soon but once she started to drag my brothers into this, my patience was breached, and I started to retaliate. From there, things starts to go down and this hatred between us deepens. But because we have so many fights and disagreements, I know her personality very well, and I can tell you that Riko's someone who doesn't know how to give in."_

 _Chiyo inhaled a deep breath, then continued, "As of now, she had pinpointed you as her target and I know that she'll do whatever was necessary to get you; Riko had always value money above anything else and seeing you have such a beautiful face, there was no way that Riko will give up this opportunity to rake in a good sum of coins. Therefore, I fear that you'll no longer be safe here since Riko had more power, not to mention wealth, and she's well-connected with some government officials too..."_

 _"And what do you suggest that I do, Chiyo-san?"_

 _And here comes the hardest part. "So, simply traveling to another land wasn't an option as at the moment, I don't have any money to give you, so I was thinking that maybe you'll be safe in... the imperial palace."_

 _"The palace? Do you mean...?" Kuroko suddenly had a very bad feeling._

 _"Yes, the palace, or the Forbidden City. Tomorrow is the day to select the new concubines into the palace, and I was thinking that you might be able to get in that way." Chiyo looked away from Kuroko, fearing his reaction._

 _Concubine? Oh no. "Chiyo-san, I really can't," Kuroko shake his head urgently._

 _"Don't worry, with your appearance, you'll be selected. And as for the rules and such, just remember to always address those higher than you with their proper title, which I'm sure you won't have trouble with seeing as you're such a pertinent and polite girl. And think about it, if you are selected, just imagine the luxurious life you'll have in your future and you'll no longer had to worry about working or money for that matter," Chiyo quickly reassured in a rush._

 _"Yes, but I really can't. Not only do I want to marry someone that I'll love, but-"_

 _"I'm sure you'll come to love the Emperor sooner or later. Yes, the Emperor is a bit on the..." Chiyo looked around the room and whispered, "old side, but just think about that wealthy life you'll be rewarded with."_

 _"Chiyo-san, I really can't be a concubine. I-I'm a male." This is it. Now Kuroko finally spilled what he wanted to say for all these days. He always felt guilty for not correcting Chiyo's misconception, but then again, he really need this job. But nonetheless, the guilt still eats him up._

 _"...A what?"_

 _"A male; I really am sorry for deceiving you, Chiyo-san."_

 _Chiyo looked dazed at this news, "A male. Oh heaven, a male! B-But, you look like this, s-so feminine and pretty, and you're a male?!"_

 _Kuroko nodded, biting the insides of his mouth._

 _Chiyo take a deep breath and eventually, reassess the situation, "...Then I guess you can enter the palace as an eunuch? But the thing with eunuch is that they have to be... castrated."_

 _Kuroko's eyes widened. "Castrated?"_

 _"Yes, that's one of the requirements and those applying to be an eunuch must be prepared to sacrifice their body part, and well- serve their master for life."_

 _That absolutely cannot happen. Although Kuroko is still young, he'd want children later on and if he was castrated, then there was absolutely zero chance of him having his own blood-related child with his future family. And although there is always adoption, Kuroko want to use that as one of his last resorts._

 _"Is there other options I can take?" A hint of desperation leaked through his voice._

 _Chiyo pursed her lips, "...You can dress up as a female and enter the palace as a servant?"_

Thinking back, the whole idea was so risky - what if Kuroko was executed if his secret was exposed? - and even now, Kuroko had no idea why he even agree to it. Sure, he manage to escape Riko and well, stay at a place that's secure and far out of Riko's reach, but there was just so many things that could go wrong in this endeavor.

But now that he entered the palace and was selected to be a servant, he can no longer back out now.

Everything was too late.

And the only option he have was to move on and _survive_. How? Kuroko had no idea.

However, he can always use his invisible presence to his advantage; and for that to work, Kuroko just had to make sure to stay away from anyone troublesome and he'll be fine, or at least he hope so.

And he really do hope so.

* * *

 **天高皇帝远 means that the sky is big and the emperor is far away.**

 **Thanks for the patience and I hope you enjoy it. (I sincerely hope you like Akashi's dream scene; I personally like how it turned out.)**

 **Do review, my kind readers!**


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